Sahel: The EU mobilises €414 million in international support

Today, the European Union hosted the High-Level International Conference on the Sahel in Brussels, confirming their longstanding political commitment to the Sahel countries.

Under the auspices of the United Nations, the African Union and the G5 Sahel group of countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad) and the EU, €414 million were mobilised to support the G5 Sahel joint force, and to strengthen coordination and effectiveness of the region's support for sustainable development.

At the beginning of the conference Federica Mogherini stated: "This is the first time that we have, 32 heads of state or government of the European Union, G5 Sahel, but also the United Nations, the African Union, and other partners in the world - from Japan to Canada to the United States and the Gulf countries - here in Brussels, to support our brothers and sisters in the Sahel. This is a very important work, not only for the people in the region, but also for us Europeans, whether in terms of security, development or climate change."

A brief overview of the other results from the Conference:

Stronger political support:

the final communiqué adopted reaffirms the commitment to help the G5 Sahel countries meet the conditions for greater stability in the region. In particular, significant support was provided to the peace process in Mali.

An increase in financial support for security:

The EU has doubled its funding to the G5 Sahel Joint Force bringing it to €100 million to improve regional security and combat terrorism. Together the European Union and its member states contribute €176 million, which is half of the international support to the Joint Force. In addition, the EU has set up a Coordination Hub in Brussels to gather together the many offers of international support to the G5 Joint Force and match these with List of Needs provided and determined by the Joint Force.

Better coordination of development efforts:

With € 8 billion in development aid from 2014-2020, the EU is the main donor for the G5 Sahel countries. The EU plays a major role in the Alliance for the Sahel, launched in July 2017, which aims to coordinate and channel aid more effectively in the most fragile areas of the region. This initiative remains open to all partners of the international community wishing to participate.